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May 12, 2008

Retirement: No … Recycling: Yes

My fellow residents here in Urbandale, Iowa, are very lucky to have Madeline Kaloides as a neighbor.

Madeline unabashedly acknowledges that she’s in her late 80s and has been “retired” for nearly a quarter of a century. If you’ve ever met Madeline, though, you know retirement isn’t in her vocabulary.

In fact, the title of one of her two published books is “Don’t Retire! Recycle Yourself.” The subtitle is “Time for a new start – new goals.” That’s Madeline.

The first time I met Madeline was a couple of years ago, when she invited me to attend her weekly “Lively Talkers” group. Madeline apologized for her slow movements that day, explaining that she was recovering from a broken hip. Frankly, I hadn’t noticed.

What I did notice that Madeline was particularly adept at keeping the eclectic gathering on point and discussing the important topics in the news that week. She skillfully guided the conversation and gently coaxed comments from each of us attending that day’s session.

While Madeline displays perfect pitch when talking the talk, she also walks the walk as mandated in her first book: “How to Have Zip and Zest When You’re 80: The Little Things in Life All Count.” She blogs for the local daily and responds to bloggers that catch her eye. For instance, when the topic turned to fashion in one blog post, Madeline chimed in with her thoughts on senior fashion. “We do buy clothes,” Madeline pointed out.

You can check out Madeline’s books here and read her history of Urbandale here.

Larry Lehmer is a personal historian who helps people preserve their family histories. To learn more, check out his web site or send him an e-mail.